Purpose/objectives: To evaluate the FOCUS Program (family involvement, optimistic attitude, coping effectiveness, uncertainty reduction, and symptom management), a family-based program of care for women with recurrent breast cancer and their family caregivers.
Data sources: Randomized clinical trial.
Setting: Midwest region of the United States.
Data synthesis: The family-based program of care consisted of five components: family involvement, optimistic attitude, coping effectiveness, uncertainty reduction, and symptom management. The program was delivered in three home visits and two follow-up phone calls over a five-month period of time.
Conclusions: Patients with recurrent breast cancer and their family members reported high satisfaction with the FOCUS Program. Although the FOCUS Program had a number of strengths, limitations of the program also were identified that need to be addressed in future family-based interventions.
Implications for nursing: A need exists for family-based programs of care that enable both patients and their family members to manage the multiple demands associated with recurrent breast cancer.